PETS!!!!

So I haven't had a pet since I left my moms house. I grew up with multiple cats, dogs, fish, a bird, and a snake for a time. Ironically I am allergic to pet dander. I would have loved a cat but both my allergy and appartment would not handle it as much.

I am considering getting a Lizard, more specifically a green (forest) iguana. I know they get big but I have the space right now (if the main people let me have it). Reading up on the care and requirements.

I know a lot of people have pets here so I thought it be an interesting discussion topic. Tell us what pets do you have and a little about them!

My family has always had at least one dog. My mother is a dog handler for Customs, so right now we have a drug-sniffing dog as our pet right now. Her name is Breton, though we call her Bret, and she is a very goofy black lab. She's tall and sleek (and we think she might have a bit of Irish Setter in her) and extremely fast. We haven't met a dog yet that can outrun her.

Bret is actually an SPCA dog from British Columbia. It turns out that her original owners were arrested for running a marijuana farm. We suspect that Bret was used as a guard dog, and she was mistreated, because she was very skinny and reluctant to associate with people. After her owners were arrested, she was taken to the local SPCA, but was considered unadoptable due to her frenzied behaviour. Fortunately a local dog handler took a liking to her and sent her off to the Customs College, where my mom eventually became her handler and brought her home.

Bret is now a very happy part of our family, and has since gotten over her distaste for people (though she still doesn't like feet...we think she was kicked). She will be seven years old this January, but she still acts like a hyper puppy.

In her career thus far, Bret has found 2 million dollars worth of opium, along with other, smaller finds.

So that's the story behind my dog...

And while I will probably always have a dog, my plan is to get a snake or a lizard once I move out. I love the Savannah Lizards and Ball Pythons, and right now I'm trying to decide which one I want more.

My family currently has a 3-year-old brown tabby cat named Milo, a six-month-old grey kitten named Max, and a 14-year-old purebred toy poodle named Sammy.

Milo is a big goofball; he has been known to drink out of the toilet, can let himself in and out of the house by opening the kitchen window, and has completely stolen my favorite chair to use as his bed. He's afraid of storms, and we attribute that to the fact that he is a Hurricane Katrina rescue.

Max is also a character, he's the first lap kitty I've had, and every night he decides to inspect every single corner in the house.

Sammy is our biggest rescue, he was badly abused in a puppy mill when he was younger. When we brought him home he was attached to my mom and tolerant of me, but could not stand men. Now he is okay with my dad, and still barks at my brother. Nowadays he just lives a lazy lifestyle of only getting out of bed to eat and get let outside.

My family has two cats, Cinnamon and Pixie, and a Westhighland White Terrier named Rosie.

Cinnamon and Pixie were adopted as kittens from my uncle's veterinary practice. Pixie is a fat calico who enjoys hiding, sleeping, and eating. She's not very bright and tends to run into walls and cabinets, but she is lovable. She was supposed to be named "Pixel" after the title character in Robert Heinlein's The Cat Who Walked Through Walls, but my mother didn't like that name so it got shortened to Pixie. Cinnamon is a very social brown tiger lap cat who is incredibly affectionate and has been known to bring our family dead critters as presents. She's my cat and enjoys sleeping with me at night, especially when I have a fuzzy blanket that she can knead.

Rosie is my mother's dog. Mom wanted a puppy to keep her company while I was at college and Dad was away on business trips so she ended up with Rosie, who was named after the wine that my parents were having with dinner, Rosé de Isabella.

I have two cats: Luna, who is five years old, and Eris, who is four and a half years old--we think.

Luna was given to us the day after Christmas when she was just 8 weeks old. We'd been looking for a kitten (my mother's choice) in the local shelters, but couldn't seem to find one, and found out that my cousin's husband's family had a kitten left, and had her in hand later that night. She's an incredibly lazy, whiny, adorable lump with a black-and-white Tuxedo coat.

Eris was one of four kittens born under my house to a stray mother. We managed to rescue two of the other kittens as well, but the fourth got hit by a car before we could trap her, and the mother disappeared at some point before that. Despite being super aloof and afraid when we first brought her in, Eris is an absolute sweetheart who likes to rub on everything and everyone, even if she'll only sit on my lap. She also happens to be completely black, so she blends in dangerously!

Both of them are pretty smart, and they fetch toys when they want you to play.

After my long time friend and companion had to be put down a couple of years ago, I've decided to wait until another one comes into my life. Duke was a big junkyard dog...a Sheppard and Lab mix. Never barked or growled and was great with kids.

My son has a hermit crab now named Homer. My 2 year old daughter calls him "Bug". It's actually kind of a neat pet. They don't make a mess, don't stink, eat whatever you feed them and are interesting to watch. Like fish, without the weekly tank cleanings.

Yah reading up the lizard might not be the best. I thought it be interesting but seems that they do about 80-90% of nothing every day. Next concideration is a ferrit but I don't know if they will make me allergic like cats and dogs

Hubby is allergic to cats, but he loves me, so I have seven of them. In order of acquisition:

AshesShe's my oldest at 17 years old. We almost lost her about five months ago and set her up in the master bathroom to watch her. Well, she's healthy now but refuses to leave. But we figure she's 17 and deserves a little assisted living home so she gets to stay there as long as she wants.

ChloeThis one is really hubby's cat. She loves his so much and is usually found on his desk or in his lap. She's a former stray that is now 6 years old. She's very squeaky and a bit high strung - when she gets nervous, she'll nibble off all her belly hair.

HappyShe's my little psycho. She is another former stray that is probably about 7 years old. She has feline hyperesthesia, an over sensitivity of her skin, that lead her to chew her tail to the bone. Her tail is now docked and, while still crazy, she no longer self-mutilates.

GidgetAnother former stray, this one is a fluffy thing who loves to brush against you when you are wearing dark pants. She's also enjoys being spooned at night when I go to bed. She's probably about 5 years old.

BittyGidget was pregnant when we took her in and Bitty is the runt of that litter. Hand feeding made us attached to her so we kept her. She's four years old and likes randomly falling down when in a lovey mood. She also has perfected the "grumpy" look when trying to get attention.

CocoaCocoa was my grandmother's cat we took in after my grandma died. She it about 4 years old and, due to some immune issues that caused her body to destroy her teeth, has been totally toothless for about a year and a half. She is also our second fattest at 16 pounds. And by far the most attention-hound - she demands to be picked up CONSTANTLY.

SammyFolks on the IRC a couple of weeks ago met Sammy. He was abandoned at the vet earlier this year and we took him home after we lost one of our kitties. He's 5 years old and a whopping 23 pounds. He also has a weird but cute habit of suckling on his knuckle when he is happy. video

auggy wrote:HappyShe's my little psycho. She is another former stray that is probably about 7 years old. She has feline hyperesthesia, an over sensitivity of her skin, that lead her to chew her tail to the bone. Her tail is now docked and, while still crazy, she no longer self-mutilates.

We didn't mean to train him, honest...he just went in one corner of his cage for a few weeks in a row so I put a corner style litter pan in that corner. When he's out of his cage, he'll just hold it until I place his pan in a corner of the living room.

1 Rabbit, he's a house rabbit over the winter. Litter training has been a nightmare he won't use a toilet in his cage, in the house or in his hutch, we gave up about a year ago and allow him to pee in the corner of his cage or a pile of newspaper in the kitchen. Hamish is what he answers to.

We did have two guinea pigs, then one gave birth and we had five guinea pigs, then a few days later dad had a stroke and was put down. Now we've got four. Mum is Maud and her three mini pigs are Henry, Harold and...... I forget the other as my daughter just made up the name yesterday and there's not been complete agreement yet - whitefoot will do for now. We spoke to the guinea pig rescue people and will have a female companion to keep mum company in the next month or two, ensuring everyone is fairly happy and celibate from now on.

And two miniature hamsters, maybe Siberian. They're two boys are have a rather entertaining relationship which involves heated disagreements that are often more fiery than myself and my wife can manage.